Board of Trustees

Chris Earnest and his wife Meredith have lived in the district since 2008. A consultant in areas of compensation and board related governance matters, Mr. Earnest runs the Houston office of the national firm of which he is a partner. He has been very active in the community, serving on the board of Post Oak Little League and as mentor to young married couples at Second Baptist Church.

Mr. Earnest graduated from the University of Tulsa with a bachelor’s degree in Law and Society and obtained his Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctor degrees from Tulsa as well. He was a 4-year letterman on the football team for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Mr. Earnest and his wife have five children, all currently attending SBISD schools.

“I am grateful to have the opportunity to represent the students of this great community we live in. I will work hard to make sure that we focus on achieving the best possible outcomes for all students in SBISD.”

Lisa Andrews Alpe was born and raised in Houston, Texas.  She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin, and received a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from South Texas College of Law and went to work as an Assistant District Attorney for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.  After 11 years as a prosecutor for Harris County, Lisa opened a private law practice.

Lisa is also an active member of the Spring Branch ISD community - as a member of two PTAs and MHS Booster Club.  After 5 years coaching youth sports teams in Spring Branch Memorial Sports Association (SBMSA), Lisa now enjoys watching games from the sidelines.

Lisa and her husband, Bruce, have three children who have all attended SBISD schools, one graduating in 2020 and the other two currently attending high school.  As a native Houstonian and 21 year resident in Spring Branch, Lisa takes great pride in the collaborative spirit in our community.

“Our children are our future and most precious resource.  I am committed to ensuring a quality education that will bring opportunity to every child in our district.”

Caroline H. Bennett has called Spring Branch home for more than 30 years. She graduated from Memorial High School then earned a B.S. in Family and Consumer Science at The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Caroline was an educator in SBISD for 16 years at Shadow Oaks Elementary and Bunker Hill Elementary. She has served in a volunteer capacity for the district for more than 20 years in many areas including 5 years on CPTA Executive Board, PTA President of 2 schools, 9 years of CIT experience, DIT, and being a part of the task force that created the Share a Smile Customer Service Program. Caroline currently is the General Manager of Spring Branch-Memorial Sports Association (SBMSA) overseeing the marketing and fundraising, community outreach and daily operations. She and her husband have two sons who attend Stratford High School and Memorial Middle School.

“I am honored to continue my service and leadership to the greater SBISD community as a trustee. My passion is working with people and communities to help find solutions to their needs. I want the best future possible for all students in SBISD by keeping the focus on education and building good character.”

Disclosure statement

A product of Spring Branch ISD schools, Courtney Anderson grew up attending Memorial Drive Elementary, Spring Branch Middle and Memorial High School. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a teaching degree and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Learning and Development.  Upon graduation, she spent nine years teaching in Alief ISD and one year in Richardson ISD, teaching third grade and special education.

Courtney has been the president of two SBISD PTAs, served on the district’s School Finance Advocacy Team, and completed the Lead SBISD program.  She has volunteered in several church capacities and led her daughter’s National Charity League chapter. Courtney and her husband John have three children, all currently attending SBISD schools. 

“I am honored to serve on the Board of Trustees.  I look forward to supporting the students, parents, teachers, and administration of Spring Branch ISD.“

Shannon Mahan’s experience in Spring Branch ISD began by working as a Speech Language Pathologist at Bunker Hill Elementary for 12 years. In addition, she worked in a supervisory role which allowed her to work at many campuses district-wide. While she has continued work on a contract basis outside of the district, she has also enjoyed serving SBISD as a volunteer. She has been the secretary of several PTA boards as well as a member of the Campus Improvement Team for the elementary and middle schools that her daughters attend.

Shannon graduated from Baylor University with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She subsequently earned a master’s degree from The University of Texas - Dallas in Communication Disorders.

Born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Shannon married a native Houstonian and they have lived here for 20 years. Shannon and her husband, James, have twin girls who currently attend Memorial Middle School, and are already excited to become Stratford Spartans in the future!

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve our amazing district in this capacity. SBISD is a wonderfully unique community that is well known for doing what is best for all our children. I am fully committed to the success of our students, as well as supporting our teachers and parents."

Disclosure statement

Minda Caesar has been an active member of the Spring Branch ISD community since 2010. She has served on four PTAs, holding various roles including everything from legislative chair to various program chairs to shelving books.

Ms. Caesar serves on the Board of Directors for the Spring Branch Education Foundation, has been a member of the leadership team for Spring Branch Speaks, a grassroots advocacy group, served on the Council of PTAs for two years and served on Spring Branch ISD’s Family E3, Bond Advisory, and Strategic Planning committees.

She has been active in advocating on education issues in Austin, including organizing a busload of citizens to visit all legislators whose districts touch SBISD.

Mrs. Caesar and her husband, Bill, have four children — two currently attending Spring Branch ISD schools and two who are recent Spring Branch ISD graduates. She worked as an award-winning journalist before becoming an executive in a start-up software company and then a marketing executive for IBM. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia.

John Perez and his wife Colette have lived in SBISD since 2001.  Their four children attended Wilchester Elementary and Memorial Middle before their days at Stratford High.  John is a licensed professional engineer who owns and runs the Cognascents Consulting Group, a process safety and asset integrity engineering company headquartered in Spring Branch.

John is a two-time graduate of Rice University with a B.S. in chemical engineering and an MBA.  He has dedicated much of his time as a volunteer to SBISD and beyond as HLS&R Livestock Committee Captain, Rice Engineering Alumni President, SBMSA coach, Spring Branch FFA Alumnus, Scoutmaster of Troop 598, active parishioner at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, and pro-bono adjunct lecturer at Rice University.

“I am honored and humbled to serve our district and advance its excellence.  There is greatness in every student and my goal as a Board Trustee is to help each student realize a path to success beyond SBISD – no matter their origin story.”

Disclosure Statement
Disclosure Statement